Change-speed gear.



PATENTE-D JUNE 30, 1908.

G. R. WILLIS.

CHANGE SPEED GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY so. 1903. k

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wi hwoaea Q No. 892,107. PATBNTED JUNE 30, 1908,

G. R. WILLIS.

CHANGE SPEED GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1903.

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anuenloz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. WILLIS, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GOLBURN MACHINETOOL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CHANGE-SPEED GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 80, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. WILLIS, of Franklin, Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Change- Speed Gear, whichinvention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to a change s eed gear, and has for its object toprovic e a mechanism of this class which shall enable the operator toreadily and quickly alter the speed at which any machine or deviceactuated by such speed gear may be Operated.

The said speed gear constituting the invention may be applied to a greatvariety of machines, and for the purpose of illustration it is hereshown as connected to the feed mechanism of a turning and boring mill.

The invention consists in the combination of elements and arrangementsof arts hereinafter described and then pointerFout in the claims.

The inventive idea is capable of receiving a variety of mechanicalexpressions, one of which, for the sake of illustration, is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is avertieal section of a feedgear box or casing inelosing the mechanism constituting the invention,said section being taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig.2 is a verticalsection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, some of the parts being shown inelevation; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a perspective view of the intermediate gear carrier with said gearshown in dotted lines; Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the gear casingand certain of the connected arts Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on theine 66 of Fi 1; and Fig. 7 is a perspective detail of the cIutchemployed for connecting the change speed gear to the driven shaft.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts, 7is a power shaft driven from any suitable source of power, with itsupper portion taking bearing in any suitable bearing box 8, and havingon its extreme upper end aworm 9 engaging a worm gear 10, which wormgear is keyed to a shaft 11, Fig. 3, having bearing in a pair ofbushings 12, 12 inserted in opposite ends of a tubular portion 13 of thegear casing. Mounted upon the shaft 11 is an elongated inion 14 thediameter of which is somewhat fiess than that of the tubular portion 13of the casing supporting the bushings 12. Surrounding the pinion 14, butwithout making contact therewith, is a pinion carrier 15 sliding withinthe tubular portion 13. This carrier is best shown in position in Fig.3, and its specific construction in detail is shown in Fig. 4. It isprovided on one side with a yoke 16 at the inner face of which yoke thecarrier is cut away so as to expose the pinion 14. The checks of theyoke 16 afford bearings for a pinion 17 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4and in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, which pinion projects through thetubular bearing 13 of the casing and engages with the elongated pinion14 on the shaft 11, the construction of the pinion carrier and theelongated pinion being such that the pinion may be adjusted to anydesired position along the pinion 14 and remain in constant engagementtherewith.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, 18 is a shaft mounted in the feed gearcasing im- Inediately above the pinion 17 supported on the pinioncarrier, which shaft 18 has keyed thereto four gears 19, 20, 21 and 22,each of the gears 20, 21 and 22 being of greater diameter than the gearimmediately preceding it. Extending out from the pinion carrier is aportion of the gear casing in the form of an apron 23 (see Figs. 1 and5) which apron is provided with vertically extending slots A, B, C andD, slightly below but immediately opposite the gears 19, 20, 21 and 22on the shaft 18, these slots being of suflicient width to receive thehandle portion 24 of the yoke 16 of the pinion carrier, to which handleportion there is pivoted a cam lever 25 (see Fig. 1). By means of thislever the pinion carrier may be adjusted horizontally so as to brin thehandle portion 24 thereof opposite 6351 one of the slots A, B, C, D, inthe apron 23, and the said slots permit the yoke to be elevated,carrying with it the pinion 17 until said pinion engages the particularone of the pinions 19, 20, 21 or 22 on the shaft 18 opposite the givenslot, when the cam lever 25 can be turned so as to cause it to securelyengage the apron 23 and hold the pinion elevated so that power istransmitted from the elongated pinion 14 through pinion 17 on the pinioncarrier to any one of the pinions 19 to 22, for example, pinion 22, asshown in Fig. 2. The feed shaft may have several feeds imparted theretoif desired, and it will be readily perceived that the shaft 18 may inmesh with the smaller gear 19 on the shaft 18, and the smaller gear 29being constantly in mesh with the larger gear 22 on said shaft 18. Keyedto the shaft 26, but so as to slide longitudinally thereon, is a doubleclutch 31, illustrated in detail in Fig. 7. Engaging a peripheral groovein said clutch is an eccen tric stud 32 operated by a lever 33projecting outward through the gear casing, and provided with a springdetent 34 (Fig. 1) for engaging suitable depressions in the face of thecasing to hold the lever in its adjusted positions. When the lever is inits vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, the clutch is not engagedwith either of the sleeves 27 or 28. By throwing the lever, however, toone side or the other, the clutch may be caused to engage with one orthe other of the sleeves 27 and 28, for example, the sleeve 28, as shownin Fig. 2, thereby connecting the pinion with the shaft 26, which shaftthereby has movement imparted to it from the shaft 18 through the pinion19 in engagement with the pinion 30. If, on the other hand, the clutch31 were in engagement with the pinion 29, the movements of the shaft 18would be imparted to the shaft 26 through the pinion 22 and the pinion29 engaging therewith, and since the pinions 29 and 30 are of differentdiameters it will be apparent that the shaft 26 may thus have twice asmany speeds imparted thereto as may be imparted to the shaft 18. On theprojecting end of the shaft 26 is a small slip pinion 35, Fig. 2, whichis keyed to said shaft by a feather or spline and retained 011 the shaftby a nut 36. Through this gear the various speeds of the shaft 26 may betransmitted to the mechanism to be driven. For the purpose ofillustration it is here shown as being transmitted to a screw-threadedfeed shaft 37, Fig. 6, of a turning and boring mill. The gear engages agear 38, Fig. 2, on shaft 39, hearing also a gear which gear in turnengages a gear 41 on a shaft 42 hearing also a gear 43 engaging with agear 44 on the feed shaft 37.

For the purpose of throwing the power shaft 7 out of engagement with thewormwheel 10, and thereby cutting off power from the feed gearing, thebearing'8 for the power shaft is made shiftable, havin just sufficienthorizontal movement to enable the worm to engage with or be disengagedfrom the worm wheel. For this purpose the bearing 8 has a lateralextension 45 which is engaged by a pivoted catch 46 to hold the worm inengagement with the gear, the catch being pivoted upon a portion of thegear casing. A spring 47is inclosed in a recess in the extension 45 andbears, through a pin 48, against the lowerface of the catch 46, therebytending to hold the catch in engagement with the extension. A lever 49,also pivoted upon the casing, bears with its inner face against a rigidpin 50 projecting from the catch, as shown in Fig. 1, and by pressing onthe lever from left to right the catch can be raised from the positionshown in Fig. 1, whereupon the spring 47 acts to throwthe worm out ofFor the engagement with the worm gear. purpose of effecting thereengagement of the worm and gear, the bar 8 may be thrown in againstthe tension of the spring 47 by any suitable mechanism, not shown.

1 It will be apparent that the application of this change speed gearmechanism to the'device operated may be cut off in any one of threeways: first, by throwing the worm 9 out of engagement with theworm-wheel 10 by operating the lever 49; second, by disengaging theintermediate pinion 17 from any one of the gears 19 to 22 inclusive; andthird,

by adjusting the lever 34 into its middle position, as shown in Fig. 1.

By the gearing as hereinbefore described, there is. provided a simpleand effective mechanism whereby a great variety of speeds may be readilysecured through the manipulation of a minimum number of parts by theoperator, the whole speed gear being compact and readily applied inposition where its use may be desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a change speed gear, the combination of a power shaft, anelongated pinion driven thereby, a tubular casing surrounding saidpinion, a pinion carrier supported by said tubular casing andlongitudinally adjustable with relation to the elongated pinion, apinion on said carrier, a plurality of gears of different diameters, anda shaft supporting said gears in position to ,be engaged by the pinionon the carrier.

2. In a change speed gear, the combination of a'power shaft, anelongated pinion driven thereby, a tubular casing surrounding saidpinion, a carrier sup orted by said casing and longitudinally acjustable with relation to the elongated pinion, a second pinion on saidcarrier and engaging the elongated pinion, a plurality of gears ofdifferent diameters, a shaft supporting said gears in position to beengaged by thepinion on said carrier, a clutch shaft, a pair of gearsloose on said shaft and each engaging one of the gears of differentdiameters, anda clutch on said clutch shaft and adjustable intoengagement with either of the gears on said shaft.

3. In a change speed gear, the combination of a power shaft, anelongated pinion operatively connected to said shaft, a lurality ofgears of different diameters, a s aft supporting the same, a tubularcasing surrounding said elongated pinion, a pinion carrier su ported bysaid tubular casing and adjustab e both longitudinally andcircumferentially with relation thereto, a pinion supported by saidcarrier in constant engagement with said elongated pinion, and adjustable into engagement with any one of said gears of differentdiameters.

4. In a change speed gear, the combination of a casing, a slotteddepending apron thereon, a tubular housing in said casing, an elongatedpinion revolubly supported in said housin a carrier supported by saidhousing and adjustable longitudinally and circumferentially of saidhousing, a connecting pinion on said carrier in constant engagement withsaid elongated pinion, a plurality of gears of different diameters, ashaft support ing said gears one opposite each slot in said apron, andmeans lockingsaid pinion carrier in position in said slots.

5. The combination of a gear casin an elongated pinion revolublysupported t iereby, a tubu. ar portion of said casing inclosing saidpinion and out of contact therewith, an oscillatory and longitudinallyadjustable carrier supported by said tubular portion, a connectingpinion supported by said carrier in constant engagement with saidelongated pinion, a shaft, a plurality of gears of different diameterson said shaft in position to be engaged one at a time by the connectingpinion on the carrier.

6. In combination, a driven barrel-pinion, a curved hood concentric tothe barrel-pinion and having an inclined edge portion and a series ofslots adjacent thereto, an arm projecting beyond said edge portion,retaining means carried by said arm, a longitudinally slotted sleevesurrounding the barrel-pinion and supporting said arm, a gear carried bythe arm and mechanism operated by the gear.

7. In combination, a shaft, an elongated pinion driven thereby, atubular casing sur rounding said elongated pinion, a pinioncarriersupported by said tubular casing, a connecting pinion longitudinallyadjustable with relation to the elongated pinion, a shaft, a pluralityof pinions of different diameters and in position to be engaged by thepinion on the pinion carrier, a pair of independent gear wheels ofdill'erent'diameters each of which meshes with one of said plurality ofpinions, a clutch shaft, a clutch keyed there'- on and adjustable intoengagement with either of said gear wheels.

8. In combination, a shaft, an elongated pinion driven thereby, atubular casing surrounding said elongated pinion, a pinion carriersupported by said tubular casing, a connectin pinion thereonlongitudinally adjustab e with relation to the elongated pinion, asecond shaft, a plurality of pinions of different diameters on saidsecond shaft in position to be engaged by the pinion on the pinioncarrier, and means for locking the carrier and connecting pinion inadjusted position.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE R. IVILLIS. Witnesses:

L. H. COLBURN, WM. B. GRIFFEN.

